Letter - Prescription abuse: State needs drug database

7:46 AM,
Dec. 1, 2013

Written by

Debora Biggs, Springfield

Prescription drug abuse is a growing problem in the United States, Missouri and southwest Missouri.

According to the Prescription Nation Report by the National Safety Council, prescription drug overdose has now surpassed traffic crashes as the leading cause of unintentional injury death in America - more than 38,000 drug overdoses in 2010 compared to 32,000 motor vehicle fatalities. More than 16,000 overdoses were from prescription painkillers, which is double the number of deaths since 1999.